Development of Microgrid Test Bed for Testing Energy Management System

Today the world population has reached 7.5 billion, and this number is expected to grow at the rate of 1.13% every year [1]. With this increase in population, the total demand for electricity has also increased. More people means the need for more power: electricity to power homes, schools, industries, hospitals, and so on. In today’s world, where most of the daily activities are dependent on electricity, demand for electricity, therefore, continues to rise. Currently, managing this growing need for electricity is one of the challenges the world is facing. In addition to this, approximately 1.2 billion people live in remote parts of the world where the electricity supply is either limited or non-existent [2]. Providing an affordable and easily available source of electricity to this population is another challenge. In response to these challenges, a significant number of countries are investing in the integration of renewable resources for energy production. Renewable resources such as the sun, wind, and water are free, clean, and readily available. Remote and poor parts of the world can also benefit by utilizing these available energy sources for electricity generation. The use of renewables helps to decrease the overall cost of electricity generation as well. This need for clean and safe energy has contributed to creating and promoting the concept of microgrids around the world. Microgrids are defined as small-scale power distribution networks with distributed energy sources, loads, and storage. They can operate in either grid-connected or islanded mode. Renewable sources are intermittent in nature, and uncertainties are always present in the microgrid operation when using these resources. The Energy Management technique is required for the coordination of these resources in order to mitigate the potential risks. Some studies have been conducted in the area of microgrid operation, stability, and control, and various types of laboratory-based microgrid test beds have been developed. A microgrid test bed allows testing of scaled down systems in order to test and simulate large real-world microgrid projects. The objective of this study is to develop a reconfigurable microgrid test bed. This test bed is created on a laboratory scale and is capable of testing energy management algorithms to validate real-time operation. A novel approach to automatic microgrid operation is proposed with the use of commercial off-the-shelf equipment and the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol. The OPAL-RT 5600 real-time simulator is used as a central controller for controlling and scheduling microgrid sources to supply the load, charge the battery and, read a state of charge values. The CAN communication protocol is used by the controller to control and coordinate different components. Different cases are studied in order to support the reconfigurability, automatic operation, and energy management in the microgrid test bed using the CAN bus

Design And Implementation Of Co-Operative Control Strategy For Hybrid AC/DC Microgrids

This thesis is mainly divided in two major sections: 1) Modelling and control of AC microgrid, DC microgrid, Hybrid AC/DC microgrid using distributed co-operative control, and 2) Development of a four bus laboratory prototype of an AC microgrid system. At first, a distributed cooperative control (DCC) for a DC microgrid considering the state-of-charge (SoC) of the batteries in a typical plug-in-electric-vehicle (PEV) is developed. In DC microgrids, this methodology is developed to assist the load sharing amongst the distributed generation units (DGs), according to their ratings with improved voltage regulation. Subsequently, a DCC based control algorithm for AC microgrid is also investigated to improve the performance of AC microgrid in terms of power sharing among the DGs, voltage regulation and frequency deviation. The results validate the advantages of the proposed methodology as compared to traditional droop control of AC microgrid. The DCC-based control methodology for AC microgrid and DC microgrid are further expanded to develop a DCC-based power management algorithm for hybrid AC/DC microgrid. The developed algorithm for hybrid microgrid controls the power flow through the interfacing converter (IC) between the AC and DC microgrids. This will facilitate the power sharing between the DGs according to their power ratings. Moreover, it enables the fixed scheduled power delivery at different operating conditions, while maintaining good voltage regulation and improved frequency profile. The second section provides a detailed explanation and step-by-step design and development of an AC/DC microgrid testbed. Controllers for the three-phase inverters are designed and tested on different generation units along with their corresponding inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL) filters to eliminate the switching frequency harmonics. Electric power distribution line models are developed to form the microgrid network topology. Voltage and current sensors are placed in the proper positions to achieve a full visibility over the microgrid. A running average filter (RAF) based enhanced phase-locked-loop (EPLL) is designed and implemented to extract frequency and phase angle information. A PLL-based synchronizing scheme is also developed to synchronize the DGs to the microgrid. The developed laboratory prototype runs on dSpace platform for real time data acquisition, communication and controller implementation

Microgrids

Microgrids are a growing segment of the energy industry, representing a paradigm shift from centralized structures toward more localized, autonomous, dynamic, and bi-directional energy networks, especially in cities and communities. The ability to isolate from the larger grid makes microgrids resilient, while their capability of forming scalable energy clusters permits the delivery of services that make the grid more sustainable and competitive. Through an optimal design and management process, microgrids could also provide efficient, low-cost, clean energy and help to improve the operation and stability of regional energy systems. This book covers these promising and dynamic areas of research and development and gathers contributions on different aspects of microgrids in an aim to impart higher degrees of sustainability and resilience to energy systems

Potential Use of DC Microgrid for Solar and Wind Power Integration in Rural Areas in India: a Review

This paper describes the possibilities of the application of DC microgrids to solve the rural areas, energy problem in the country (India). DC Microgrids open a gateway for integration of solar and wind energies which together are an efficient and cleaner way of renewable energy generation, which can be integrated into the power distribution network. They have several other advantages, which include - reduction in transmission losses, improvement in power quality & reliability, reduction in emissions and even they are cost effective. The most important characteristic is that it provides a possibility for electrification of remote villages, which are far from the reach of the conventional grid. This paper presents a detailed discussion on the possibility of application of DC microgrids for rural areas in India

Potential Use of DC Microgrid for Solar and Wind Power Integration in Rural Areas in India: A Review

This paper describes the possibilities of the application of DC microgrids to solve the rural areas, energy problem in the country (India). DC Microgrids open a gateway for integration of solar and wind energies which together are an efficient and cleaner way of renewable energy generation, which can be integrated into the power distribution network. They have several other advantages, which include - reduction in transmission losses, improvement in power quality & reliability, reduction in emissions and even they are cost effective. The most important characteristic is that it provides a possibility for electrification of remote villages, which are far from the reach of the conventional grid. This paper presents a detailed discussion on the possibility of application of DC microgrids for rural areas in India

A systematic review of grid-connected photovoltaic and photovoltaic/thermal systems : benefits, challenges and mitigation

Solar energy is the powerhouse where all potential and classified renewable energies lug their sources. The energy transformation from the Sun to electricity requires an adequate control scheme to maximise the generated power and enhance the system efficiency. Besides, more than half of solar irradiation on conventional Photovoltaic (PV) panels is lost. The PV thermal (PV/T) modules have been introduced to convert the lost irradiation to heat. Thus, a systematic review of system components, development, and strategies for grid-connected solar PVs plants is presented. Two solar PVs, traditional PV and PV/T, are evaluated. Each grid-tied PV component is considered a subsystem to analyse the potential improvement of grid-connected PVs. This is from solar resources to grid-tied PV inverter techniques. An intensive assessment of the system improvements is presented to evaluate PV plants’ benefits, challenges, and potential solutions. The improvement trends for the novel generation of grid-connected PV systems consist of applying innovative approaches. It is also found that intelligent strategies optimally ensure the overall efficiency of grid-tied PVs using real-time control and measurement under innovative applications and technologies. These methods effectively assist in enhancing grid-tied diverse solar power approaches. Therefore, this paper would offer a significant foundation for advanced research into the subject of grid-tied PV and PV/T and their innovation and/or technology development.https://journals.sagepub.com/home/EAEhj2024Electrical, Electronic and Computer EngineeringSDG-07:Affordable and clean energ